Savages' intense and destructive music is more like Metal
Box period Public Image Limited than the course Siouxsie and the Banshees that
are often name dropped. It's Johnny Rotten's gauging vocal style that
influences Savages front women Jehnny Beth, real name Camille Berthomier. Same
can be said for Ayse Hassan's stark bass creations influenced from PiL legend
Jah Wobble. It's a challenge for bands that carry a direct influence from a
past generation in to today's music - this usually begs for comparisons and
identity theft from past artists. The American wave of proto-punk (Patti Smith,
The Stooges, and The Velvet Underground,) and Britain’s dark and ethereal
post-punk artists are heavy influences on Savages sound and image. Joy
Division, Echo and The Bunnymen, Magazine, Public Image Limited and of course
Siouxsie and the Banshees are just some of Savages estranged parents. They take
their name from such books as Lord of The Flies and Catcher in the Rye, the
savage instinct when left with impending doom.
When performing live Savages are resilient in post-punk effects.
The darkness and masculinity of their live performances are more than the
ideals of feminism or a stand against twee, it's a mark of resentment to a
modern day era without Goth like presence and obtuse music. It's a script, an
actual performance rather than playing a few numbers. They haven’t been
pressured by a record label or formed through men in suits; Savages are the
twisted imaginations of post-punk. Album opener "Shut Up" speaks of
an unrelenting personal fight, Beth sings: "I'm the one who truly saw your
soul." Dark lyricism and first person observations make up a big chunk
of Silence Yourself. This blunt instrumentation has almost been absent in music
for 30 years and Savages have suddenly entered the scene to pump energy in to the
pensioners that still nostalgically rock our sound systems.
Pre-release single "I Am Here" rightfully makes an
appearance on Silence Yourself. This is where we hear that delayed, slow vocal
and oppressive instrumentation. It's hard to turn Savages down because the
sound they're creating is just invigorating worthy of loudness. Thompson's
guitar borders noise rock at times, before reverting back to the ethereal dream
pop styles of Will Sergeant. Towards the end of "I Am Here", Beth
enters the repetition stage of punk rock's final third, repeating the song
title over and over creating a cloud of noise. The repetition factor really
comes in to play on Silence Yourself. Thompson's guitar is always shrieking, shredding
or soothing, yet Hassan's bass sounds almost percussionist. Take
"Strife", an energetic hard rock track with power chords reminiscent
of Black Sabbath's Paranoid. Beth sings with a shard of innocence: "How come I've been doing things
with you, I would never tell my mum," in a murky manner - opening up the
door for more tenebrous lyricism to come. "Strife" closes with more
guitar screeches and guitar ambience, leading in to the fifth track
"Waiting for a Sign". This track is like something out of The Jesus
& Mary Chain's Darklands, if drummer Bobby Gillespie stayed with them.
Savages sound like Closer period Joy Division without the synthesizers. This is a bleak and almost depressing song that reminds
me of "The Eternal".
Silence Yourself wouldn't be complete without the integral
instrumental "Dead Nature". Every album has one, like Radiohead's
"Treefingers" on Kid A. The concept of darkness and unhappiness works
on Silence Yourself as Kid A's gloomy "Treefingers" does on Kid A. There
is that sense that Savages are plummeting in to the unknown with their almost anarchist
sound and lyrical passages. Beth's lyricism is like poetry; it reads well on
paper but also captures the essence of song. Take the blood
gusting "She Will", Beth sings: "She will forget her pain, she
will come back again. Got hooked on loving hard, forcing the slut out!"
Such abstract lyrics are meant for powerful post-punk. "Hit Me" is
another one of these vigorous Fugazi-esque tracks with incredibly ghastly
lyrics: "I took a beating today and that was the best I ever had."
It's a song that references a documentary about porn actress Belladonna, who says
the exact above quote. Beth takes the portrayal of women to be victims and
turns it upside down in a masculine way with the callous punk instrumentation.
She twists the story, showing admiration for Belladonna's role, but also
showing menace to the general male consensus' portrayal of women.
Savages are far from twee and you certainly won't see them
on stage wearing pink dresses. This being said, Savages aren’t exactly feminist
or would describe themselves under that bracket. It's almost as if feminism has
become a philosophy rather than a movement. Savages acknowledge this and see
only the basic raw ingredients of feminism to go by. Let's put it this way,
don't call them a girl band. This perpetual anger is heard in the standout
single "Husbands". Beth sings a very construed vocal along the lines
of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Karen O and PJ Harvey. You can almost hear Patti Smith's
"Horses" as Beth repeats the track title over and over. The two
minute 50 second track seems long enough when put alongside the other tracks,
however the incredibly twisted noise rock shredding performed by Thompson kills
time fast, as does the structural breakdown where Beth sings: "My house,
my bed, my husbands." The sceptical lyricism is backed by one of the best
post-punk instrumentals. Hassan's blunt bass playing starts the track with the
simple bass drum smashing of drummer Fay Milton. Thompson then takes control
with a skilful guitar riff, with Milton's excessive cymbal smashing. Human character
and Ayn Raynd's individualism philosophy at its best.
What's striking about Silence Yourself is the closer
"Dear Marshall" - the smooth, lounge-like track that features Beth's
piano composition and a clarinet towards the end. This track decides the fate
of Savages debut album, because "Dear Marshall" is their mission
statement. it includes the album title via lyrics and also tells the story of
the album's side note seen on the cover. It's a simple message that can be
summed up by listening to the first track, "Shut Up" - the title says
it all. Silence Yourself is that beckoning album you can use to persuade your
friends to eye up and seize the opportunity to witness and experience a band
living up to their full potential as artists. Each member plays an individual
role on Silence Yourself, the bass / drums are envisioning powerful and mastered
ingeniously by The XX mixer Rodaidh McDonald. He knows how to get the best
ethereal sound out of a band and he doesn't fail here. Tracks like
"Husbands" and "City's Full" are bound to get attention.
The latter being one of my favourite tracks of 2013 with it's heavy distortion and erratic structure. They're both of single quality, replicating the exaggerate sound of 80s punk.
"No Face" and "Strife" are somewhat weak links on a contingent
album. Savages are making headlines as they should be. It's been a while since
a band of this nature has graced our boring music scene. They sound fresh even
though the formation was respectfully down to music of the 70s / 80s.
Thompson's guitar riffs do not disappoint and Beth's poetic lyricism will leave
a mark for years, if not decades. Savages have truly released an astounding
debut worthy of worldwide recognition. Their hard work has paid off and fortunately
the future is in their hands thanks to the carefully picked closer "Dear
Marshall".
~Eddie
9.0
